Environmentally-Friendly Surface Sets New Standard for Green Building Practices NEW YORK, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- ECO(TM) by Cosentino, (www.ecobycosentino.com), a revolutionary new line of sustainable countertop and surfacing material composed of 75% recycled material, is proud to announce its sweeping win in multiple industry awards in innovation and sustainability. Selected by a distinguished panel of judges, editors, industry leaders, and consumers, ECO(TM) by Cosentino has won the 2009 Building Products Green Product Awards, Multi-Housing News Green Initiative Awards, Interiors & Sources Readers Choice Awards. Additionally, ECO(TM) by Cosentino was awarded the Innovative Product of the Year at the 2009 Stone Expo in Las Vegas and was won the Best Construction Product at 2009 Construmat, the leading international construction fair in Barcelona, Spain. "We are thrilled by the industry's overwhelmingly positive response and are proud to deliver a categorically innovative and beautiful product," said Lorenzo Marquez, Vice President of Marketing of Cosentino North America. "These industry awards and recognition are an important indication that ECO(TM) by Cosentino is helping to fill a void in the market by providing a sustainable surfacing material that does not sacrifice design or performance." Continuing to set an unprecedented standard for the green building and sustainable design industries, ECO(TM) by Cosentino was selected as a winner of the Green Product Awards by Building Products magazine. The winning products were selected based on their sustainable attributes including energy efficiency, resource efficiency, innovation, and their overall value to residential contractors employing green practices. As the winners of Multi-Housing News' Green Initiative Awards, ECO(TM) by Cosentino was recognized as an environmentally-friendly countertop product. The award also recognizes the company's corporate green initiatives and commitment to the environment. Additionally, ECO(TM) by Cosentino was selected as the Readers' Choice for Surfacing Materials in an online survey performed by Interiors & Sources magazine. With thousands of unique votes cast, ECO(TM) by Cosentino was the favorite choice for consumer's who looked for a beautiful sustainable product that is durable, and has high stain, scratch and scorch performance. ECO(TM) by Cosentino is composed of 75% post-industrial and post-consumer recycled raw material, including: mirrors salvaged from houses, building and factories; glass from windows and bottles; granulated glass from consumer recycling practices; porcelain from china, tiles, sinks, toilets and decorative elements; and industrial furnace residuals from factories in the form of crystallized ashes. By utilizing these recycled materials, Cosentino is "upcycling" products that have reached the end of their lifecycle - meaning that they cannot be incorporated in to any other industrial product and would otherwise collect in landfill sites. Since its launch, ECO has achieved several industry certifications including Cradle-to-Cradle, GREENGUARD Children's & Schools, and NSF 51 Certification. Architects and building teams will gain points toward LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for a building project that utilizes ECO(TM) by Cosentino surfacing. ECO(TM) by Cosentino is available at all Lowe's stores nationwide as well as specialty kitchen and bath distributors and showrooms across the country. ECO(TM) by Cosentino offers consumers a 10-year warranty. For more information, visit www.ecobycosentino.com.
